r esearch and Planning Studies C ategory (Finalist) - The ...

New Construction Category (Merit)
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games – National Aquatics Center (Water Cube)
北 京 2008 年 奧 運 會 – 國 家 游 泳 中 心 ( 水 立 方 )
Location
Completion Date 2008
Green Building Rating
Beijing, China
SPeAR® Assessment
Client/ Developer
Project Manager
Architect
Civil & Structural Engineer
Building Services Engineer
Sustainable Design Specialist
Main Contractor
Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd
Three Gorges Corporation
PTW (Australia) and CSCES + Design
Arup (Australia)
Arup (Hong Kong) (Applicant)
Arup (Australia)
Arup (Hong Kong)
Arup (Australia)
China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC)
In setting the criteria for their approach to the 2008 Olympics, China
identified three fundamental attributes: a ‘people’s’ games, a ‘high-tech’
games and a ‘green’ games. The National Aquatics Center, popularly
known as the ‘Water Cube’, is arguably the building that best embodies
all three.
This crystal palace, with a size of 177m long by 177m wide by 30m high
and occupying a site area of 80,000 square metres, is the main aquatics
venue of this year’s Olympic Games. It comprises the main swimming
and diving arena, training pool, leisure pool and restaurant, etc.
Designed to act as a giant greenhouse, the building appears to be built
from a collection of oversized blue bubbles. These come together in the
form of a blue, airy, cuboid that perfectly complements the red, muscular
form of the National Stadium, located directly opposite the ‘Water Cube’
on Beijing’s Olympic Green.
The organic structure of “Water Cube”, which can be seen through
the semi-transparent skin of the facade, is based upon the way soap
bubbles join together to fill space. What is more, the translucence of the
revolutionary facade means that high levels of natural daylight flood into
the blue-clad building, harnessing the
sun’s energy to heat both the building
and pool water.
The recyclable bubble cladding is
key to the Water Cube’s aesthetic and
sustainability aspirations. The green
house effect by the ETFE (ethylene tetra
fluoro ethylene) cladding will reduce
energy consumption of the leisure pool
hall by at least 30 per cent. Meanwhile,
it has positive effect on the acoustics of
the venue: sound passes through the
material, rather than being reflected.
ETFE is a better insulator than glass
when shaped like inflated pillows.
Further, ETFE is far lighter. It weighs just
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